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Tag: writing

A short project to explore the journals’ archive in library (or online), find our own voice and in which published journal it might be most fitting.

Being subscribed to a few ceramic journals and magazines, and generally looking through all the other ones on regular basis, I wanted to take this opportunity further and find more publications that would relate to my work better; better than our standard, static and very much craft oriented ceramic publications.

Although, the ‘Ceramics Subject Guide’ is very good and comprehensive overview on the subject specific resources the library can provide, ceramics is not only about Ceramic Review, craft, and pottery.
Therefore, I wanted to look beyond that and find something more helpful, exciting and fitting for my practice. The ‘Fine Art Subject Guide’ was an excellent place to start and gather more broad journals within the art subject. Apollo, Turps Banana or Tate Etc. and Raw Vision provided much better inspiration within sculpture, painting, performance and curation. Some of them featured artists working predominantly with clay or similar ideas to me of abstraction and nature, but even providing articles on specifically ceramic subject, such as “The Potter’s Progress” article in Apollo presenting the significant role of studio pottery in the development of modern art in Britain.

However, the best discovery was accidental. While searching for the journal “Bomb” listed in the Fine Art Guide I stumble across the beautiful publication “Bloom – a horti-cultural view”. Created in 1998 and published twice a year, it explores trends in areas such as fashion, design, photography or food relating to horticulture and nature itself. It is a very unusual publication, but one that large number of people could relate to from students, professionals in art, craft, design, to retail or just a passersby enchanted by the visual delights of the magazine.
It is visually rich with minimal text and no advertisement to distract the viewer from the experience. It covers traditional themes behind nature-inspired craft or design to more intriguing photographs and art exploring and experimenting with ideas relating to or somehow deriving from natural world.

Ceramics and craft is always included, same as art, exploring ideas and intricacies from natural world, often through abstract work rather than plain representation.

Another mention would be our local CCQ which I’m subscribed to and would love to find myself one day. Culture Colony Quarterly “focus is on the contemporary arts and their many contexts, particularly international practice and projects”, but puts same importance to the local scene. Therefore I can find beautiful visual content same as in depth writing on international events I visited such as the Venice Biennial, but also another look at ” stiwdio/lle studio/place” exhibition at the Bay Art Gallery in Cardiff or interview with Lone Taxidermist whose music performance we are going to experience at Arnolfini in Bristol and “[in] cracked reflection of Grayson Perry’s acclaimed exhibition, we’re raiding Arnolfini with our loved-fueled provocative party for the outsiders.”

First two museums we visited in Cambridge were traditionally subject based, predominantly on Geology and the second one on Anthropology and Archeology.
It’s not surprising as they are part of Cambridge University, which has total of 9 museums and collections.
As with the University’s purpose, the aim of these museums is to educate the public.

The Sedgwick Museum was the most traditional in its presentation, with impressive antique wood and glass cabinets, but rather static display.
The layout was quite clear and direct, coming from the earliest period of 544 million ears ago from right, to the Pleistocene epoch and exhibition of work by Charles Darwin on the left. Each open ‘room’ divided by the large cabinets was dedicated to different environment such as Costal Plains or Tropical Seas, most significant in its epoch.

The individual open ‘rooms’ had more information scattered around, with main introduction board, individual artefact signs and handbooks by the windows.
It was rather passive reading, and looking through glass experience.

I appreciated the airy installations on the cabinets, bringing some fresh imagination to the collection, using the imagery found within the cabinets.

It was exciting to see the original and hand painted Geology Map, created by William Smith, and read its impressive story, not just admire it’s impressive size.

Just few steps away and we found ourselves in the Anthropological and Archeological Museum.
After seeing fossils and natural/life’s evidence it was interesting to suddenly appear in space filled with human ‘fossils’ represented predominantly by ceramic objects.
It’s like ceramics are human fossils; used by archeologists to get most information on humans, their activity and history, as geologists get their information from fossils on life and environment of past.

The collection was very similar to the Pitt Rivers’ (as both are anthropological museums), however the curation couldn’t be different.
I enjoyed it in different way, as exploring themes in more depth, such as ‘childhood in the past’ is more educational and informative, than just explore and compare different objects on their own, like in Pitt Rivers.

It was in the exhibition on childhood, where we discovered that museum descriptions doesn’t have to be dull, but can be rather entertaining. It was in a form of educational criticism and sassiness on descriptions of pottery techniques and examples made or decorated, most likely by a child.
Signs are one of the most influential feature of the museum experience, as absolutely everyone reads at least one, but I believe they are not the most griping and exciting to read, in most cases not even really relevant.

Furthermore, on the last floor, there was another unusual sight – of a glass cabinet with cardboard boxes and unnumbered, unmarked relics placed carefully on a foam tissue.

It was a visible storage while they prepare a new exhibition on that floor. With the boxes probably hiding more objects safely, it felt like a retail environment where the products are left to speak for themselves, ready to attract, be picked up, explore its purpose, how it’s relevant to the buyer/observer, and be bought.

A simple map with objects placed on their geographical origin reminded me of different coffee, tea or chocolate stating their unique geographical origin, trying to attract customers (of products or ideas) with their unique properties, customs, resources.

We are asked to reflect on our academic progress in a form of blog posts, and as an account of our thinking during the Keynote lectures and study group seminars.

This will help me with my reflection on the ideas consumed during Constellation sessions, and possibly link them to my Subject or Field practice.
I want it to be a space for me to agree or disagree with the arguments; or look at them more deeply and expand on them.
I hope this reflection will help me assess my strengths and weaknesses as a learner and critical thinker, and deepen my critical thinking, knowledge in art and philosophy, and help me become a better independent learner and thinker.

But what is Constellation anyway?

“We are all connected; To each other, biologically. To the earth, chemically. To the rest of the universe atomically.”Neil deGrasse Tyson

It is the theoretical aspect (module) of my Bachelor of Arts degree in Ceramics.
It is an opportunity for me to contextualise my practice as an artist and designer, and place my own work in relation to wider theoretical concepts and debate.
I hope it will expand and raise my ability to look and reflect on my ideas and practice critically.

I have chose to study Ceramics for the same reasons as probably everyone else do – The great fascination, not only now but throughout the 1,000s years of human history, with it’s versatility, malleability and tactility.

I’m also interested in the community around clay, as it not only connects humans through time-history, but also adults and children playing with simple ready available mud, community of artists and craftsmen/craftswomen, users and producers, or patient and therapist.
Especially in ways of communicating, as even child, person with severe learning difficulties, or blind can use the material to express and communicate.

I’m very keen to explore the material, glazes applied onto it; shapes and useful designs I can create. Anticipating to explore fields such as history, archeology, geology and chemistry through this material, and continue learning about the world around me.